Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Fine Lines

Today, I did a power point presentation at the Auckland Central Library, called Fine Lines. Seeing as I put a lot into it, I thought, hey -- why not Scribd it? So, here it is, online as a .pdf (commentary and full set of slides).

Had about thirty people listening, folks taking my business card to ask future questions. I never mind helping researchers among the family history / genealogy community to get over a hurdle or two. After all, I've have help from fellow researchers in the past. If things involve a fair bit of time, though, I do have to charge.

Next big presentation is in June, on Henderson's Mill before members of the West Auckland Historical Society, then another in August, back at Central Library on medical records.

12 comments:

Oh i read just the last couple of days you were doing that... hmmm it was the councils flyer i think.... I'll go have a read :-) I admire people that do this sorta thing...i HATE public speaking LOL. Hell i even hate our team meetings at work! :P

Thanks, Sandy. I seem to have my calendar this year dotted with speaking gigs here and there. I think I like the chance to perform, and think on my feet -- although with Fine Lines, I kept pretty much to the prepared commentary. Got to share my love of maps with the public! Always a bonus.

Interesting to those who are interested. How do you get young people interested in history? I think, casting my mind back, you have written about things that would really interest young people. Boys certainly like disaster stories, car or cart crashes, burning buildings. Sorry, off on a bit of an tangent.

I'd think one of the first things to interest young boys would be things that make noise, steam, include fire and go relatively fast -- trains come to mind. (I tend to think more like a boy than a girl with things, so trains would get my vote. And trams.) But some indicators might be found on the Living Heritage project site, where school classes all over the country worked on projects (primary school level). When I was asked to speak with pupils at Rosebank School and Avondale Intermediate (I loved doing that. I had my brains picked by youngsters asking me why such-and-such a place was the way it was, when did blah-blah happen, all that sort of thing. Some really cool projects came out of it), all sorts of questions were asked, across a range of topics.

I think what also interests both girls and boys is how something that looks permanent to them, such as a building on their landscape, may look utterly different or simply not be there at all in the past. Showing them almost always brings out "wow" reactions.

What a fabulous presentation you did! I just ADORE old documentation for a start...you made it look so interesting.

Christchurch Libraries have digitised Burkes Manuscript which is an extremely interesting window into early Christchurch buildings/businesses http://christchurchcitylibraries.com/heritage/digitised/burke/

There was a fabulous article on Close up year or so ago ...i've just found it on youtube. About history lessons for school kids in a Dunedin Cemetery. I thought it was fantastic. Sure kids might moan and groan about going there but once involved and learning about peoples individual [sometimes horrendous] stories, it captures their imagination. It just takes some encouragement in the first place. That's how i got interested at 14...by my mum and aunt going to cemeteries and coming back with info about my own ancestors :-)Here is the ink to the Close Up story:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5zAO5g2cPY

I love old documents as well, whether real or digitised. But especially maps -- I have a bit of a fond passion for them. That Burke's document at Christchurch Library looks very cool. Have you come across the digitised Blue Books at the Archives NZ site yet?

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